SUSTAINABILITY A Texas ACE Training Series START 3/21/14 Hello and welcome to this new Texas ACE Training Series all about Sustainability. My name is Shawn Petty and I am the Technical Assistance Manager for the Texas ACE Project. I have the pleasure of being your facilitator today. This webinar has been pre-recorded and produced in a format that will allow you to listen from beginning to end, or should you desire, to jump around from slide-to-slide. This webinar is the kickoff to a rapid training series occurring in Spring of 2014. As the Texas ACE Project has a variety of grantees at different stages of the grant cycle, this training was developed on a very high-level. The next training in the series is a face-to-face training where the facilitator will be able to address specific items for particular grant cycles. We hope that you will participate in the entire training series and upon the conclusion of the training have a working sustainability initiative. Let’s begin. 3/21/14 PRESENTED BY : Shawn C. Petty

This picture of the Milky Way Galaxy was the first thing that popped into by mind when I started as a Project Director for a 21st Century Community Learning Center prior to the Texas ACE branding. Even back then, we were mandated to sustain our program. As we wrote the grant, we put down some amazing language promising that we would secure new funds, build community support, and keep the program going after 5 years of funding. Yet, there were so many things to do with the grant that it felt like we were starring up at the sky trying to count the stars in the galaxy. The task was immense and felt overwhelming. I am sad to say that very few of my programs back then truly sustained. I had a few that sustained but not all. As I visit grantees in the field today, many have shared with me the same feelings. A lot of grantees want to sustain their program in some shape or form, but are not sure where to start. In an effort to address this issue, our Texas Education Agency Leaders have challenged the training team to do all it can to provide support and resources for grantees to sustain.

TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14 TODAY’S TRAINING OBJECTIVE We want to…. “To introduce Texas ACE Grantees to a set of tools and materials that will help in the development of effective sustainability plans” Thus we have our training object for today. It is our desire to introduce Texas ACE Grantees to a set of tools and materials that will help in the development of effective sustainability plans. I will be very honest with you in that there is not a silver bullet or a magical solution to sustaining a program. For programs to continue to operate requires a strong commitment from Project Directors, Site Coordinators, Staff, Parents, Community Leaders, and School Administrators. All the way to the Superintendent. In order to secure that commitment, a plan has to be developed. TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14

Why Is Sustainability Planning Important? If you fail to plan, you plan to fail! But seriously, why is sustainability planning so important? Well, simply put if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. But let’s dig a little deeper….

TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14 5 3 IMPORTANT REASONS TO PLAN 1 2 3 Short-Term Funding Changing Environment Can’t Afford Not To There are 3 main reasons why sustainability planning is so important. Number one is short-term funding. Most of the funding sources supporting out-of-school-time initiatives are short-term in nature. Even the large 21st Century Community Learning Centers budgetary allocations were designed for only 5 years. The idea was that the 5 years would provide seed money to getting a program started. The grant was never intended to be awarded to the same schools every year. Other funding sources like foundational grants have even shorter timeframes. The second reason is the changing environment. We operate our programs today in a rapidly changing environment. Think about the political, the economic, and the demographic changes that have occurred just in the past 5 years. Not listed here but something to consider is also the changing pace of technology and how it is affecting the educational world. Without a plan to continuously improve and evolve with the changing environment, we will find our programs not ready to sustain at the end of the grant cycle. Finally, we simply cannot afford to lose quality comprehensive out-of-school-time programs. You are doing amazing work. The lives of the youth you serve have been changed for the better because of your program. Unless your community has another option or no longer has a need, we must take the time to create and implement plans to sustain. Many funding sources supporting out-of-school-time initiatives are short-term in nature. We operate in a rapidly changing environment (political, economic, and demographic changes). We simply cannot afford to lose quality comprehensive programs. TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14

TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14 6 USES OF A SUSTAINABILITY PLAN Provide Clarity A strong sustainability plan can clarify where you are and where you want to go. Provide Direction A sustainability plan helps you develop long-term strategies and provides benchmarks to measure progress. However, how many of you have this situation? You take the time to create a strategy, a plan, an action list….and you file it and have full intentions to use it, but never do. The day-to-day tasks overshadow the plan. In other words, the urgent takes priority over the important. This is going to be a challenge. Yet, we will provide you with the tools to develop your plan and will provide as much support as possible for you to implement it. This is whether you have 3 and a half months till the end of the grant cycle or four years. One thing that may help you keep your plan in motion is to review the uses of a sustainability plan. A strong sustainability plan can clarify direction. Outlining where you are today with your program on all levels and then writing down where you want to go in the future is a strong tool. That written plan provides direction through long-term strategies with benchmarks to measure progress. We do this with our evaluation plans for the operation of the program, so why wouldn’t we follow the same process for how we sustain the program. Even better would be to link the evaluation efforts and the sustainability plan. Both can demonstrate value to stakeholders. Your parents, your community leaders, your school administrators….they all want to see you succeed and are willing to help. They just need a plan with solid actions to do. Demonstrates Value A well-developed sustainability plan that is actively referenced can demonstrate the value of the program to stakeholders. TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14

(you may need to pause the webinar) 7 ACTIVITY Take a few minutes to think about the characteristics of some organizations that you know have sustained their programs? Write down on a piece of paper all the characteristics you can think of. (you may need to pause the webinar) So, now that we have reviewed the importance of planning and the uses of the plan, let take a moment to go through an exercise that will prepare for us for our next portion of the webinar. Please listen to the entire slide before you begin the activity. Take a few minutes to think about the characteristics of some organizations that you know have sustained their programs? These organizations could be comprehensive community initiatives, local or national nonprofit organizations, or could be other successful organizations you know of. For example, I thought about the Girl Scouts of America. I have two daughters who participate in this organization and when I think about the characteristics, I can tell you they have vision. At the beginning of each meeting, all the girls recite the Girl Scout Promise. Award Ceremonies are a big deal and reinforce the promise. Many people don’t know this, but this organization has been around since 1912 when it started with zero funding and 18 girls in Savannah, Georgia. What organizations and characteristics can you think of? Write down on a piece of paper all the characteristics you thought of. As you do so, take a moment to think about the attributes of successful long-term organizations. Do you find that successful organizations share similar characteristics and attributes? Really take some time to do this. You may need to pause the webinar. I found it beneficial to do this exercise with a few other people as we all thought of different organizations. TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14

TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14 8 KEY ELEMENTS OF SUSTAINABILITY 1 Vision 2 Results Orientation 3 Strategic Financing Orientation 4 Adaptability to Changing Conditions 5 Broad Base of Community Support Ok….take a look at your list and take a look at the screen. You probably see some similarities. The Finance Project, a non-profit out of Washington DC, has conducted significant research studies into successful long-term sustainable programs. Out of their research, they have compiled 8 Key Elements of Sustainability. Successful programs that have sustained over the long-term have all eight elements embedded in their organization. Let’s briefly review each element. 6 Key Champions 7 Strong Internal Systems 8 Sustainability Plan TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14

TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14 9 KEY ELEMENTS ONE TO FOUR VISION RESULTS STRATEGIC ADAPTABLE Element One is Vision. It is important to know what you are going to sustain. You may not need a carbon copy of your ACE program. You may need something smaller or you may need something bigger. Whatever you decide, articulating this vision is the first step to creating a sustainable program. You should also pay close attention to how your initiative or program fits into the larger community. In addition, you should know exactly what you mean by sustainability. What is your scope of activities, the scale of your operation, the timeline? Basically, know your target before you shoot your arrow. This will help you not have wasted effort. Element Two is Results Orientation. Your program should adopt a results framework. Be very clear about the results you want to achieve for your students as well as your school and community. Use indicators and performance measures to track your progress and improve your work. A results orientation transforms programs from simply operating on a day-to-day basic to being a real transformative change agent. Strategic Financing Orientation is the third element. Based on your vision of what you plan to sustain, you should outline in detail your expected fiscal needs. Make sure you are using your existing resources to their best possible use (both your fiscal and in-kind). Maximize your available sources of revenue. Look at ways you can create greater flexibility in categorical funding. Reach out and create public-private partnerships. Explore new state and local revenue sources. The third part of our training series is a full day live training dedicated to just this element. Element Four is all about being adaptable to changing conditions. You should monitor all announced opportunities for funding, not just your existing funding stream. Consider new ways to frame the work you are doing to interest different funders. Take the time to identify opportunities to not only participate but improve the policy climate. Participate in collaborative advocacy to encourage change. Most of being adaptable is being aware of opportunities and be open to new concepts. VISION Do you know what you want to sustain? How does your initiative fit within the community? What do you mean by sustainability? RESULTS ORIENTATION Adopt a results framework. Be clear about the results you want to achieve. Use indicators and performance measures to track progress. STRATEGIC FINANCING What are your expected fiscal needs? Maximize existing resources & available sources of revenue. Explore new revenue sources. ADAPT TO CHANGE Monitor funding opportunities. Consider new ways to highlight your work and program. Identify opportunities to improve policy climate. TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14

TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14 10 KEY ELEMENTS FIVE TO EIGHT COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS SYSTEMS PLAN The final four elements of sustainability begin with developing a broad base of community support. You should generate a plan to create a desired identity and then use that identity to nurture a community presence along with support. Really encourage the involvement of students, parents, and other stakeholders. Show your support for public education and engagement, not only as a program but as a citizen. Make sure your partnerships foster collaboration rather than competition. This broad base of community support will lead you to element six which is around cultivating key champions. You should identify key decision makers and opinion leaders. Then create an effective outreach plan. Make sure you focus on a wide range of champions, not just the most convenient. Some ideas of key champions include – elected leaders, business leaders, peer organizations, clients (children/youth, parents, or others), community leaders, and philanthropists. Element seven is all about strong internal systems. You must know and involve all the people you need to carry out your vision. This may include teachers, staff, board members, volunteers, etc… Build strong fiscal management, accounting, information, and personnel systems. Use those systems to review your strategies and to make changes as needed. The final eighth key element of sustainability is the actual sustainability plan. Programs across all industries that have successfully sustained in the long-term have all followed a comprehensive plan that takes account of short- and long-term needs. In this plan, they identify challenges and/or obstacles. They generate strategies to secure the needed resources to overcome these challenges. This isn’t always financial. They close the loop by identifying and communicate with key partners. COMMUNITY SUPPORT Develop a plan to create a desired identity. Nurture a community presence. Encourage involvement of all stakeholders. KEY CHAMPIONS Identify key decision makers. Develop an outreach plan. Cultivate a wide range of champions. INTERNAL SYSTEMS Involve all the people you need to carry out your vision. Ensure that you have strong fiscal management, accounting, information, & personnel systems. SUSTAINABLE PLAN Develop a comprehensive plan that takes account of short- and long-term needs. Identify resources to overcome challenges. TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14

TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14 11 KEY ELEMENTS OF SUSTAINABILITY 1 Vision 2 Results Orientation 3 Strategic Financing Orientation 4 Adaptability to Changing Conditions 5 Broad Base of Community Support As you can see, the elements build upon each other, like steps. This is important because many attending this training may think – “Just tell me how to get funding. I need money now”. Believe it or not, just getting funding is only one part of sustainability. There are many grants, foundations, philanthropists, community groups, and elected officials who are willing to share resources. The challenge comes with keeping the whole thing going. Without each of these eight elements, programs tend to fade away. Taking the time and effort, even if it is streamlined into a rapid 90 day focus, can pay off tremendously. We want all of you to rigorously go through each of these elements. That is why we worked with the Finance Project to license the rights for this year to the Sustainability Toolkit. 6 Key Champions 7 Strong Internal Systems 8 Sustainability Plan TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14

© 2014 The Finance Project - Used under license 12 INTRODUCING THE TOOLKIT We have a copy of this toolkit for each Project Director in Texas ACE (as defined by TX21st). However, we don’t want the toolkit to just go on a shelf. TEA is investing in you as Texas ACE Grantees and requires a little investment on your part. To obtain your copy of this toolkit, you must attend one of the regional half-day trainings. I will share more on those at the end of this session. Attending the training is the second half of a major step. The first half is to complete a self-assessment. Stay tuned as I will expound on that in the next few slides. This toolkit has 5 modules that are full of worksheets and guidance on how to create a sustainability plan. The toolkit is designed to be completed over the course of a year. As we have some grantees whose grant cycle ends in almost 90 days, we have streamlined the material of the toolkit into 4 trainings to be completed this Spring and early Summer. In the next few slides, I will review this streamlined process and outline the corresponding training. I will then review the prework that is needed for the first face-to-face training. © 2014 The Finance Project - Used under license TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14

© 2014 The Finance Project - Used under license 13 TRAINING SERIES – PART ONE Overview Why is Sustainability Planning important? How does one use their Sustainability Plan? What are the 8 Elements of Sustainability? Plan to Plan Assess “readiness” Define “initiative” Clarify planning parameters Decide whose input you need Decide how that input should be structured and managed. Develop a workplan. Introductory Webinar Congratulations, by reviewing this prerecorded webinar, you are already completing Part One of the Sustainability Training Series. You should give yourselves a round of applause. We have already completed the overview in which we discussed why sustainability planning is important, how does one use their sustainability plan, and we walked through each of the 8 Key Elements of Sustainability. Now, we are ready to go over the material of Plan to Plan. You may be asking the question, why would I plan to plan? That doesn’t make sense, right? That’s what I thought too, but in reality if you take some to really plan out this process you will find your time rewarded quite substantially. Going through a small checklist before you even begin this initiative, will help the process run smoothly and efficiently. This is really critical for those who may be pressed for time. I have listed 6 items for you to review as a way to Plan to Plan. First – Assess Readiness – Are you ready to do sustainability planning? Some factors to consider are do you and your stakeholders have time and more importantly interest? Is it good timing (stable leadership, no other major issues requiring your time and attention)? Define Initiative - There are often many levels of “initiatives” within an organization. At what level is it possible to focus the sustainability plan? You need to be clear what to focus on so that you can communicate that to your stakeholders. Clarify Planning Parameters - Over what timeframe will you develop your plan? What resources do you have available to plan (staff, budget to support time and efforts or meeting costs)? How much time can you expect your planning group members to devote to meetings? What timeframe do you want your sustainability plan to cover (three years, five years)? Decide Whose Input You Need - Who should you include in the planning process? Remember you need to consider internal stakeholders (School Leadership, Program Management, Staff, Parents, Students) and you need to consider external stakeholders. Those with influence: local policymakers, local public agency administrators, funders, business leaders, etc… Those with information: community organizers, researchers, budget and development personnel. Potential partners: those working toward similar goals. How Will You Structure Input? - Is there an existing governance entity following a process (for example and Advisory Board using Robert’s Rules of Order)? Do you need to create a special workgroup made up of a key segment of stakeholders? Develop a Workplan Read everything in the Toolkit and go through every module. Consider what planning you have already completed. Consider the time & resources you have available for planning Consider what combination of large group meetings, subcommittee meetings, and staff work makes sense? Design your workplan that includes key steps to complete, timeframe, and meetings. This is a high-level engagement activity. It should not take a long time. Basically, this process just clarifies a few items so that you can really get down to work. That is why we included it in this webinar. Overview Plan to Plan © 2014 The Finance Project - Used under license TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14

© 2014 The Finance Project - Used under license TRAINING SERIES – PART ONE In an effort to assist you with your Plan to Plan work, we have posted in the resource section of this webinar and on the MyTexasACE website the Plan to Plan Worksheet I. This worksheet is included in hard copy and digital copy in the Toolkit along with the MyTexasACE online version. The worksheet will help outline what planning task you might want to undertake (this portion has been completed for you on the worksheet, but you are welcome to change it). You then have a column for who is responsible for ensuring the task is completed. Finally, you have a timeline or deadline column. After you complete the Plan to Plan prework, you are ready for the next part of the training series. © 2014 The Finance Project - Used under license TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14

© 2014 The Finance Project - Used under license 15 TRAINING SERIES – PART TWO Face-2-Face Training We are offering seven face-to-face ½ day trainings this Spring. You may register to attend one of the trainings by clicking HERE. You may bring up to 5 people to the training. Module I & II Building a Sustainable Initiative Developing a Vision & Results Orientation Part Two of the Sustainability Training Series is a ½ day face-to-face training focused on Modules I & II. In an attempt to reach as many grantees as possible, we are trying to have trainings in multiple areas. We currently have Brownsville scheduled on Tuesday, March 25th, McAllen scheduled on Wednesday, March 26th, Dallas scheduled on Thursday, March 27th, San Antonio scheduled on Tuesday, April 1st, Temple scheduled on Wednesday, April 2nd, Beaumont scheduled on Thursday, April 3rd, and Aldine scheduled on Wednesday, April 9th. We are looking into another location in West Texas but have not confirmed anything yet. Please click on the link to register for the training. Module I of the Toolkit introduces the sustainability framework and the planning process, then delves into benchmark progress by identifying strengths and weaknesses. In Module I grantees are introduced to the Self-Assessment Tool. In an effort to streamline this training, we have converted the self-assessment to an online tool to be be completed prior to attending this training. It is critical to do this as the training will start from the completion of the assessment. Participants who have have not completed the assessment will have a strong learning curve during the training. You may access the tool by clicking on the link embedded in this slide under the toolkit graphic. The Self-Assessment Tool is a diagnostic device that will really allow you to determine where you should place your efforts to target scare resources. It is a vital step in the sustainability planning process. Many programs will complete the self-assessment in a group setting. We have placed an electronic copy of the entire self-assessment in the resource section of this webinar and on MyTexasACE. A hard copy and an electronic copy will also be in the Toolkit you will receive at the face-to-face training. Module II of the Toolkit helps you clearly define what you want to sustain, what you mean by sustainability, and how you might measure progress. The tool introduced in this module is one that Texas ACE Grantees are very familiar with – a Logic Model. The difference is that this Logic Model is not a Texas ACE Logic Model but your own Program & Community Logic Model. Self-Assessment Tool Diagnostic tool to help you: Assess progress Identify strengths & weaknesses Determine where to target scarce resources Access the online version of the Self-Assessment HERE © 2014 The Finance Project - Used under license TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14

© 2014 The Finance Project - Used under license 16 TRAINING SERIES – PART III & IV Face-to-Face Full Day Training – 2 Locations Module III – Creating a Strategic Finance Plan Identify fiscal resources needed to achieve vision Develop strategies to access those sources Tools Provided = Fiscal Worksheets Face-to-Face Full Day Training – 1 Location Part three of this training series will be a face-to-face full day training hosted in the Central Texas area and one other area based on participation rates. We anticipate hosting this training in late April or early May and are currently working on securing facilities and dates. This entire training is dedicated to Creating a Strategic Finance Plan. This is the session that most people want us to start with. In this session, we will partner with a school finance expert to help you clarify exactly what you are financing along with the fiscal resources you will need. We will help you map your current funding, assess gaps, and then we will identify funding sources and financing strategies. It is important to complete the Plan to Plan module along with Modules I & II before attending this session. If your vision is not clear and you have not really taken the time to examine where you are with sustainability, then this is just another workshop. Yet, if you have completed everything prior to attending then this training will propel you towards creating a realistic and achievable sustainability plan. We wrap up our training series with Part IV which is another face-to-face full day training. We anticipate hosting this training in Central Texas around late May or early June. We plan to only host it one time unless the demand is out there for additional sessions. This training covers Module IV – Building Organizational Capacity & Community Support and Module V – Writing Your Plan. Module IV helps you build your capacity to handle change through strong internal systems development and assists with securing key champions through effective outreach. Module V puts it all together. At the end of this training, you should leave with a fully completed outline of a sustainability plan. Modules IV & V – Capacity & Workplan Build organizational capacity & community support Write your plan Tools Provided = Design & Workplan Worksheets © 2014 The Finance Project - Used under license TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14

NEXT STEPS Sustainability Training Series 17 Right Now: Register for Training Take Assessment Wow, that was a lot of information in a fairly short amount of time. Before we conclude, I just wanted to wrap up with the next steps. So what should you do right now? Well, you have already watched this webinar which is a great start. Remember, everything in the webinar has been transcribed. You can download the transcription to see many of the questions that I asked verbally but did not have the space to place on the slide. Likewise, the webinar has been designed in a format where you can back and review one section at a time if you wanted to. You may also download the Powerpoint slides to share with or present to others. Your next step however is to register for one of the ½ day trainings. From there, please go online and take the self-assessment. Your training facilitator will review this assessment before the training which will guide how the first training rolls out for your area. Finally, attend the training prepared to work. The training will not be a lecture style workshop. It is very much a hands on developmental workshop. When this first training is complete, please give feedback through the instrument provided at the training. Your feedback, particularly around what you need for development, is vital and necessary for us to continue providing technical assistance and support to you. You will be given additional assignments at the training. Please complete those assignments, register for the next training, and be ready to attend and work again. This cycle will repeat one more time for the final training. For the future, we will be rolling additional sustainability training in the fall. This particular training series has been streamlined for those grantees whose grant cycle is ending soon. The Fall 2014 training will take a deeper dive with a longer timeline. However, the format will remain the same and the 8 Key Elements and 5 Modules do not change. Attend Training Prepared to Work Next: Give Feedback Complete Assignments & Attend Next Training Future: Fall 2014 Rollout of Additional Training TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14

TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14 THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME Well that concludes our time together. From our Texas Education Agency Leaders and from your Texas ACE Technical Assistance Team we thank you for all that you do for the youth here in Texas. We know that everyday you are making a difference and working hard to close the achievement gap. It is our hope and desire that each and everyone one of our grantees sustain the program in a way that is most beneficial to your communities. Don’t forget about your actions items. See you at training! END TEXAS ACE| SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING SERIES| DATE: 3/21/14